Travel sports parents are some cold-blooded a--holes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This must differ by sport. In baseball, everyone knows there are teams you try to get into for D1 others for D3 and then many teams where you are just playing but almost nobody gets a college commitment.

Maybe there is this drama up until like 13, but nobody expects teams to stick together at 14+. Also, everyone is fine being open because they know a D1 caliber is going to try to play for Richmond Braves platinum or Canes National or some equivalent while others aren’t.

Actually… no, not “everyone” knows that. There are lots of us *normal* parents out here who aren’t hyper-competitive, and we’re not all constantly researching and jostling for the biggest leg up for our kids. Some of us put our kid on a travel team when they’re young because we like the vibe, and then we keep them on that travel team because the kids are all friends now. Even if our kid is really talented.

That’s complete BS. Sorry, but especially with changes to baseball roster sizes and the relationships your travel coach needs to have with D1 coaches…you aren’t leaving your kid on the Primetime B team or the MVP C team just because you are all friends.

Your kid may not want the drama and pressure of D1 baseball…that’s absolutely true…but a different animal.

Heck, many D1 programs will take a rising JR HS commit and tell them they now have to play for the TBT Phillies or the Five Star National because those are the teams where they want their committed kids playing together.

It’s not BS, you just misunderstood my point. A lot of us literally *do not know* what the “premiere” teams are nor have we researched (or thought to research) because we’re happy where we are.

So there’s two reasons I would leave my kid on his current team, even though he would love to play D1 and is possibly D1 material. But I come from a small town so I don’t have this jostling/competitive nature in my blood, so hopefully my kid will get a look at some point.

But it’s foolish to assume that *everybody* knows that you need all sorts of close personal relationships with “the right people” these days. That’s not how it worked where I’m from in my day.

Why would you think of your own ancient experience as representative of how things work today?

I’m sorry…but if you aren’t playing at tournaments where D1 coaches are looking or don’t have someone that knows some coaches, you can’t expect to get a D1 look.

Now…if your kid can throw consistently in the 90s (ideally as a lefty), you can get some looks. It’s the one area of baseball that’s easy to prove and will get notice if all you do is post Twitter video and DM coaches.

BTW, this isn’t about getting on the most competitive travel team, but rather getting into a team that has connected coaches that attracts D1 caliber athletes. Sure, they are strong teams, but my kid left a more local travel team where parents were under the delusion that kids would be recruited (and were hyper-competitive) to a team where 50% are already committed by Fall of junior year, that had a much more collaborative vibe because the parents with already committted players are actually very open with how their kid got committed and give some really good tips.

The most competitive teams will often have kids that will be drafted into the MLB in the first or second round, direct from HS.

Because I’m not a hyper competitive striver. Obviously.

You even admit in this post that YOU know that not *everyone* knows this. (See bolded)

You seem confused as to what I took issue with in your original post. It’s your blithe “everyone knows this” - and by your own admission, no, not everyone knows this. I don’t get why you’re digging in your heels on this point. I’m sure the rest of your information is accurate but LOTS and LOTS of folks simply aren’t aware of how the recruiting game is played.

Stop with your holier than thou “I’m not a hyper competitive striver”. You can’t hope your kid will get to D1 and then do nothing to try to make it happen.

It’s one thing if your kid doesn’t want it…I completely get that…but if your kid does want it, you don’t just complain about the system and do nothing.

I’m not complaining about the system. I’m (for about the third time) pointing out that NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!

Most parents think supporting their kid through travel ball FOR YEARS is quite the opposite of “doing nothing” in terms of supporting that kid’s college hopes and dreams. Back in my day NO ONE played travel ball. It was Little League, Babe Ruth, and high school. So by even participating in this travel insanity we are already acknowledging that things have changed. But some of us plebes are too stupid or lazy I guess to know that even if our kid is on the best, most competitive team, it’s still not the *right* team. So I guess our kids are just screwed.

Well…I hope I at least gave you something to think about…because now you know.

You can’t just bury your head in the sand if it’s something your kid wants (and somebody who knows something can at least confirm they are D1 material).

The upside is now 100% of D1 baseball players at conferences that give scholarships should get a 100% scholarship (up from around 25%). The downside is rosters have been cut 15%-20%.

To the parent who isn’t a baseball recruiting expert:

Between HS ball and your travel org, there should be someone to talk to about a recruiting plan. If your son is a D1 caliber prospect, he doesn’t need to play on Stars or Braves to be recruited (mine had no interest). But you do need a plan and someone to advocate for you at the schools he’s interested in. It isn’t always the fanciest big name org. In fact, sometimes those places aren’t great at, let’s say, placing athletes into high academic D3 programs. Every athlete has different goals and might need the different things from their travel team. Some kids aren’t going to benefit from wwba but might get exposure to the teams they want in more regional tournaments. One thing to consider is that a lot of D1 caliber rising HS seniors aren’t going to have roster spots due to the recent rule change - including many who have already committed. Your son needs to be doing email outreach and attending school specific camps at a minimum, casting a wide net in terms of division, and hopefully someone in his sphere can pick up the phone and help from that side.

Also to the point about the scholarships, that is entirely too complicated an issue to jump to the expectation that schools who currently fund 11.7 scholarships are going to be fully funding 34 scholarships in 2025-2026 or ever.

Thanks for the actual useful information. At what point during high school should he be reaching out to potential college coaches? Junior year?

I would say to get a list of 30 schools that are an academic fit at all levels (or at least d1 and d3 if your kid is a higher academic kid, since there's not a lot of d2, naia, jc that will fit that bill). Start emailing all of them summer before junior year and see where hs/club coaches know someone. Baseball is actually a pretty small world and coaches move around a lot, so you never know who knows who! Plan on attending school camps throughout junior year and keeping those emails flowing. It is VERY tedious but it is important to get in front of the schools and keep their attention. You don't want to show up "cold" to a school camp without them knowing you exist, so email ahead of time and get a coach to call on your behalf if possible. Prepare for a lot of blunt feedback and ghosting and hang in there. It is a hard process.

This is far too generic for D1 coaches…and would only work with low-competiition D1 schools (say Fairleigh Dickinson as a low competition D1).

If you want Power 5, you need to get on a national team that feeds Power 5. There are many…and likely one or more that at least have tryouts close to you. You won’t get any response just emailing Power 5 teams…but if you play for the Scorpions with Ethan Holliday (likely the #1 MLB draft pick in 2025…or close to it as a HS kid) then they will be watching you. Many of these teams also focus on a region…so Canes Midwest National has lots of Indiana and other Big 10 commits as example.

Ivy schools and Patriot League may respond, but far more effective having a trusted coach that knows those coaches and having them see you at important tournaments (like WWBA in Florida in October, and WWBA and PBR in Georgia in Summer).

Also, if you aren’t at the level athletically for those schools to notice you…they won’t pay any attention to you at their camp. Camps are a way for assistant coaches to make money because they are paid very little…they need lots of kids with zero hope of getting recruited to attend (and the 10% that they do want to see).

Penn gave offers to 75% of their commits from tournaments as an example…not from their camps.

The scholarship issue is not complicated…however unsettled. However, as it stands, schools may have have to drop out of D1 if they can’t afford to provide the scholarships now being negotiated (it’s not just baseball, but many sports).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This must differ by sport. In baseball, everyone knows there are teams you try to get into for D1 others for D3 and then many teams where you are just playing but almost nobody gets a college commitment.

Maybe there is this drama up until like 13, but nobody expects teams to stick together at 14+. Also, everyone is fine being open because they know a D1 caliber is going to try to play for Richmond Braves platinum or Canes National or some equivalent while others aren’t.

Actually… no, not “everyone” knows that. There are lots of us *normal* parents out here who aren’t hyper-competitive, and we’re not all constantly researching and jostling for the biggest leg up for our kids. Some of us put our kid on a travel team when they’re young because we like the vibe, and then we keep them on that travel team because the kids are all friends now. Even if our kid is really talented.

That’s complete BS. Sorry, but especially with changes to baseball roster sizes and the relationships your travel coach needs to have with D1 coaches…you aren’t leaving your kid on the Primetime B team or the MVP C team just because you are all friends.

Your kid may not want the drama and pressure of D1 baseball…that’s absolutely true…but a different animal.

Heck, many D1 programs will take a rising JR HS commit and tell them they now have to play for the TBT Phillies or the Five Star National because those are the teams where they want their committed kids playing together.

It’s not BS, you just misunderstood my point. A lot of us literally *do not know* what the “premiere” teams are nor have we researched (or thought to research) because we’re happy where we are.

So there’s two reasons I would leave my kid on his current team, even though he would love to play D1 and is possibly D1 material. But I come from a small town so I don’t have this jostling/competitive nature in my blood, so hopefully my kid will get a look at some point.

But it’s foolish to assume that *everybody* knows that you need all sorts of close personal relationships with “the right people” these days. That’s not how it worked where I’m from in my day.

Why would you think of your own ancient experience as representative of how things work today?

I’m sorry…but if you aren’t playing at tournaments where D1 coaches are looking or don’t have someone that knows some coaches, you can’t expect to get a D1 look.

Now…if your kid can throw consistently in the 90s (ideally as a lefty), you can get some looks. It’s the one area of baseball that’s easy to prove and will get notice if all you do is post Twitter video and DM coaches.

BTW, this isn’t about getting on the most competitive travel team, but rather getting into a team that has connected coaches that attracts D1 caliber athletes. Sure, they are strong teams, but my kid left a more local travel team where parents were under the delusion that kids would be recruited (and were hyper-competitive) to a team where 50% are already committed by Fall of junior year, that had a much more collaborative vibe because the parents with already committted players are actually very open with how their kid got committed and give some really good tips.

The most competitive teams will often have kids that will be drafted into the MLB in the first or second round, direct from HS.

Because I’m not a hyper competitive striver. Obviously.

You even admit in this post that YOU know that not *everyone* knows this. (See bolded)

You seem confused as to what I took issue with in your original post. It’s your blithe “everyone knows this” - and by your own admission, no, not everyone knows this. I don’t get why you’re digging in your heels on this point. I’m sure the rest of your information is accurate but LOTS and LOTS of folks simply aren’t aware of how the recruiting game is played.

Stop with your holier than thou “I’m not a hyper competitive striver”. You can’t hope your kid will get to D1 and then do nothing to try to make it happen.

It’s one thing if your kid doesn’t want it…I completely get that…but if your kid does want it, you don’t just complain about the system and do nothing.

I’m not complaining about the system. I’m (for about the third time) pointing out that NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!

Most parents think supporting their kid through travel ball FOR YEARS is quite the opposite of “doing nothing” in terms of supporting that kid’s college hopes and dreams. Back in my day NO ONE played travel ball. It was Little League, Babe Ruth, and high school. So by even participating in this travel insanity we are already acknowledging that things have changed. But some of us plebes are too stupid or lazy I guess to know that even if our kid is on the best, most competitive team, it’s still not the *right* team. So I guess our kids are just screwed.

Well…I hope I at least gave you something to think about…because now you know.

You can’t just bury your head in the sand if it’s something your kid wants (and somebody who knows something can at least confirm they are D1 material).

The upside is now 100% of D1 baseball players at conferences that give scholarships should get a 100% scholarship (up from around 25%). The downside is rosters have been cut 15%-20%.

To the parent who isn’t a baseball recruiting expert:

Between HS ball and your travel org, there should be someone to talk to about a recruiting plan. If your son is a D1 caliber prospect, he doesn’t need to play on Stars or Braves to be recruited (mine had no interest). But you do need a plan and someone to advocate for you at the schools he’s interested in. It isn’t always the fanciest big name org. In fact, sometimes those places aren’t great at, let’s say, placing athletes into high academic D3 programs. Every athlete has different goals and might need the different things from their travel team. Some kids aren’t going to benefit from wwba but might get exposure to the teams they want in more regional tournaments. One thing to consider is that a lot of D1 caliber rising HS seniors aren’t going to have roster spots due to the recent rule change - including many who have already committed. Your son needs to be doing email outreach and attending school specific camps at a minimum, casting a wide net in terms of division, and hopefully someone in his sphere can pick up the phone and help from that side.

Also to the point about the scholarships, that is entirely too complicated an issue to jump to the expectation that schools who currently fund 11.7 scholarships are going to be fully funding 34 scholarships in 2025-2026 or ever.

Thanks for the actual useful information. At what point during high school should he be reaching out to potential college coaches? Junior year?

I would say to get a list of 30 schools that are an academic fit at all levels (or at least d1 and d3 if your kid is a higher academic kid, since there's not a lot of d2, naia, jc that will fit that bill). Start emailing all of them summer before junior year and see where hs/club coaches know someone. Baseball is actually a pretty small world and coaches move around a lot, so you never know who knows who! Plan on attending school camps throughout junior year and keeping those emails flowing. It is VERY tedious but it is important to get in front of the schools and keep their attention. You don't want to show up "cold" to a school camp without them knowing you exist, so email ahead of time and get a coach to call on your behalf if possible. Prepare for a lot of blunt feedback and ghosting and hang in there. It is a hard process.

This is far too generic for D1 coaches…and would only work with low-competiition D1 schools (say Fairleigh Dickinson as a low competition D1).

If you want Power 5, you need to get on a national team that feeds Power 5. There are many…and likely one or more that at least have tryouts close to you. You won’t get any response just emailing Power 5 teams…but if you play for the Scorpions with Ethan Holliday (likely the #1 MLB draft pick in 2025…or close to it as a HS kid) then they will be watching you. Many of these teams also focus on a region…so Canes Midwest National has lots of Indiana and other Big 10 commits as example.

Ivy schools and Patriot League may respond, but far more effective having a trusted coach that knows those coaches and having them see you at important tournaments (like WWBA in Florida in October, and WWBA and PBR in Georgia in Summer).

Also, if you aren’t at the level athletically for those schools to notice you…they won’t pay any attention to you at their camp. Camps are a way for assistant coaches to make money because they are paid very little…they need lots of kids with zero hope of getting recruited to attend (and the 10% that they do want to see).

Penn gave offers to 75% of their commits from tournaments as an example…not from their camps.

The scholarship issue is not complicated…however unsettled. However, as it stands, schools may have have to drop out of D1 if they can’t afford to provide the scholarships now being negotiated (it’s not just baseball, but many sports).

Oh for goodness sake, someone who is “possibly D1 material” is not looking at P4 schools.

You are exactly why people hate other sports parents, because you’re so arrogantly certain your way is the only way. It is such a caricature of the baseball parent, and the reason why we didn’t team hop once we found sane, humble families.

Kids are recruited in a variety of ways. There is no single path. My own had offers after seeing coaches in multiple different formats. Of course the camps are money makers for the assistant coaches, hence why I specifically suggested getting buy in from the coaches via the club/hs coaches first to be sure they’re interested and will pay attention.

The big tourneys are the same way. They are coming to see specific kids, just like the camps, and SEC school of your choice isn’t stumbling across some kid randomly on the sidelines of a wwba game 90 minutes from Atlanta. So those tourneys could be totally worthless for some kids (particularly bubble kids like the poster I was addressing), and a team camp or regional tournament with regional coaches could be a much better use of time.

D1 coaches themselves are describing the process of contracting rosters and navigating the increased scholarships as complicated, and there are programs who couldn’t fully fund the existing 11.7 scholarships. There is absolutely no requirement to offer the allowed scholarships in any sport. It is simply false to state that schools who can’t fund the full 34 will have to drop d1 status.

Pp, please talk to a trusted coach about your child’s ability, academic goals, and a game plan for getting there. There are a lot of ways to find the right fit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This must differ by sport. In baseball, everyone knows there are teams you try to get into for D1 others for D3 and then many teams where you are just playing but almost nobody gets a college commitment.

Maybe there is this drama up until like 13, but nobody expects teams to stick together at 14+. Also, everyone is fine being open because they know a D1 caliber is going to try to play for Richmond Braves platinum or Canes National or some equivalent while others aren’t.

Actually… no, not “everyone” knows that. There are lots of us *normal* parents out here who aren’t hyper-competitive, and we’re not all constantly researching and jostling for the biggest leg up for our kids. Some of us put our kid on a travel team when they’re young because we like the vibe, and then we keep them on that travel team because the kids are all friends now. Even if our kid is really talented.

That’s complete BS. Sorry, but especially with changes to baseball roster sizes and the relationships your travel coach needs to have with D1 coaches…you aren’t leaving your kid on the Primetime B team or the MVP C team just because you are all friends.

Your kid may not want the drama and pressure of D1 baseball…that’s absolutely true…but a different animal.

Heck, many D1 programs will take a rising JR HS commit and tell them they now have to play for the TBT Phillies or the Five Star National because those are the teams where they want their committed kids playing together.

It’s not BS, you just misunderstood my point. A lot of us literally *do not know* what the “premiere” teams are nor have we researched (or thought to research) because we’re happy where we are.

So there’s two reasons I would leave my kid on his current team, even though he would love to play D1 and is possibly D1 material. But I come from a small town so I don’t have this jostling/competitive nature in my blood, so hopefully my kid will get a look at some point.

But it’s foolish to assume that *everybody* knows that you need all sorts of close personal relationships with “the right people” these days. That’s not how it worked where I’m from in my day.

Why would you think of your own ancient experience as representative of how things work today?

I’m sorry…but if you aren’t playing at tournaments where D1 coaches are looking or don’t have someone that knows some coaches, you can’t expect to get a D1 look.

Now…if your kid can throw consistently in the 90s (ideally as a lefty), you can get some looks. It’s the one area of baseball that’s easy to prove and will get notice if all you do is post Twitter video and DM coaches.

BTW, this isn’t about getting on the most competitive travel team, but rather getting into a team that has connected coaches that attracts D1 caliber athletes. Sure, they are strong teams, but my kid left a more local travel team where parents were under the delusion that kids would be recruited (and were hyper-competitive) to a team where 50% are already committed by Fall of junior year, that had a much more collaborative vibe because the parents with already committted players are actually very open with how their kid got committed and give some really good tips.

The most competitive teams will often have kids that will be drafted into the MLB in the first or second round, direct from HS.

Because I’m not a hyper competitive striver. Obviously.

You even admit in this post that YOU know that not *everyone* knows this. (See bolded)

You seem confused as to what I took issue with in your original post. It’s your blithe “everyone knows this” - and by your own admission, no, not everyone knows this. I don’t get why you’re digging in your heels on this point. I’m sure the rest of your information is accurate but LOTS and LOTS of folks simply aren’t aware of how the recruiting game is played.

Stop with your holier than thou “I’m not a hyper competitive striver”. You can’t hope your kid will get to D1 and then do nothing to try to make it happen.

It’s one thing if your kid doesn’t want it…I completely get that…but if your kid does want it, you don’t just complain about the system and do nothing.

I’m not complaining about the system. I’m (for about the third time) pointing out that NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!

Most parents think supporting their kid through travel ball FOR YEARS is quite the opposite of “doing nothing” in terms of supporting that kid’s college hopes and dreams. Back in my day NO ONE played travel ball. It was Little League, Babe Ruth, and high school. So by even participating in this travel insanity we are already acknowledging that things have changed. But some of us plebes are too stupid or lazy I guess to know that even if our kid is on the best, most competitive team, it’s still not the *right* team. So I guess our kids are just screwed.

Well…I hope I at least gave you something to think about…because now you know.

You can’t just bury your head in the sand if it’s something your kid wants (and somebody who knows something can at least confirm they are D1 material).

The upside is now 100% of D1 baseball players at conferences that give scholarships should get a 100% scholarship (up from around 25%). The downside is rosters have been cut 15%-20%.

To the parent who isn’t a baseball recruiting expert:

Between HS ball and your travel org, there should be someone to talk to about a recruiting plan. If your son is a D1 caliber prospect, he doesn’t need to play on Stars or Braves to be recruited (mine had no interest). But you do need a plan and someone to advocate for you at the schools he’s interested in. It isn’t always the fanciest big name org. In fact, sometimes those places aren’t great at, let’s say, placing athletes into high academic D3 programs. Every athlete has different goals and might need the different things from their travel team. Some kids aren’t going to benefit from wwba but might get exposure to the teams they want in more regional tournaments. One thing to consider is that a lot of D1 caliber rising HS seniors aren’t going to have roster spots due to the recent rule change - including many who have already committed. Your son needs to be doing email outreach and attending school specific camps at a minimum, casting a wide net in terms of division, and hopefully someone in his sphere can pick up the phone and help from that side.

Also to the point about the scholarships, that is entirely too complicated an issue to jump to the expectation that schools who currently fund 11.7 scholarships are going to be fully funding 34 scholarships in 2025-2026 or ever.

Thanks for the actual useful information. At what point during high school should he be reaching out to potential college coaches? Junior year?

I would say to get a list of 30 schools that are an academic fit at all levels (or at least d1 and d3 if your kid is a higher academic kid, since there's not a lot of d2, naia, jc that will fit that bill). Start emailing all of them summer before junior year and see where hs/club coaches know someone. Baseball is actually a pretty small world and coaches move around a lot, so you never know who knows who! Plan on attending school camps throughout junior year and keeping those emails flowing. It is VERY tedious but it is important to get in front of the schools and keep their attention. You don't want to show up "cold" to a school camp without them knowing you exist, so email ahead of time and get a coach to call on your behalf if possible. Prepare for a lot of blunt feedback and ghosting and hang in there. It is a hard process.

This is far too generic for D1 coaches…and would only work with low-competiition D1 schools (say Fairleigh Dickinson as a low competition D1).

If you want Power 5, you need to get on a national team that feeds Power 5. There are many…and likely one or more that at least have tryouts close to you. You won’t get any response just emailing Power 5 teams…but if you play for the Scorpions with Ethan Holliday (likely the #1 MLB draft pick in 2025…or close to it as a HS kid) then they will be watching you. Many of these teams also focus on a region…so Canes Midwest National has lots of Indiana and other Big 10 commits as example.

Ivy schools and Patriot League may respond, but far more effective having a trusted coach that knows those coaches and having them see you at important tournaments (like WWBA in Florida in October, and WWBA and PBR in Georgia in Summer).

Also, if you aren’t at the level athletically for those schools to notice you…they won’t pay any attention to you at their camp. Camps are a way for assistant coaches to make money because they are paid very little…they need lots of kids with zero hope of getting recruited to attend (and the 10% that they do want to see).

Penn gave offers to 75% of their commits from tournaments as an example…not from their camps.

The scholarship issue is not complicated…however unsettled. However, as it stands, schools may have have to drop out of D1 if they can’t afford to provide the scholarships now being negotiated (it’s not just baseball, but many sports).

Oh for goodness sake, someone who is “possibly D1 material” is not looking at P4 schools.

You are exactly why people hate other sports parents, because you’re so arrogantly certain your way is the only way. It is such a caricature of the baseball parent, and the reason why we didn’t team hop once we found sane, humble families.

Kids are recruited in a variety of ways. There is no single path. My own had offers after seeing coaches in multiple different formats. Of course the camps are money makers for the assistant coaches, hence why I specifically suggested getting buy in from the coaches via the club/hs coaches first to be sure they’re interested and will pay attention.

The big tourneys are the same way. They are coming to see specific kids, just like the camps, and SEC school of your choice isn’t stumbling across some kid randomly on the sidelines of a wwba game 90 minutes from Atlanta. So those tourneys could be totally worthless for some kids (particularly bubble kids like the poster I was addressing), and a team camp or regional tournament with regional coaches could be a much better use of time.

D1 coaches themselves are describing the process of contracting rosters and navigating the increased scholarships as complicated, and there are programs who couldn’t fully fund the existing 11.7 scholarships. There is absolutely no requirement to offer the allowed scholarships in any sport. It is simply false to state that schools who can’t fund the full 34 will have to drop d1 status.

Pp, please talk to a trusted coach about your child’s ability, academic goals, and a game plan for getting there. There are a lot of ways to find the right fit!

Where’s your kid’s supposed offers? You don’t understand how recruiting works for a Power 5 school and it shows.

Nobody said they were stumbling across your kid at these tournaments…they are coming to see your kid because you play for a quality team with a quality coach that has told those coaches they should see you. Did you miss that part?

You are 100% incorrect that as an individual school you can’t abide by what your conference decides. If that was the case…why do all schools that are members of the same conference offer the 11.7 scholarships today?

PP never described their kid as a bubble kid…seems like you placed their kid in the bubble.

Sorry if someone is giving better advice than you. But by all means…have the kid email into the wind and have their current coach (who PP admitted doesn’t seem to have any connections) randomly contact schools and have PP spend anywhere from $150 to $800 per college prospect camp where they are the sucker subsidizing the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is an interesting mashup of field hockey and baseball…

Because people don’t know how to stick to the topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is an interesting mashup of field hockey and baseball…

Because people don’t know how to stick to the topic.

The topic is travel teams and parents leaving yo get their kid recruited. How is this conversation off topic in your mind?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is an interesting mashup of field hockey and baseball…

Because people don’t know how to stick to the topic.

The topic is travel teams and parents leaving yo get their kid recruited. How is this conversation off topic in your mind?

No, it’s about loyalty to your club and teammates and putting them first (which I don’t agree with), but that is the OPs complaint - players leaving and not thinking of teammates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is an interesting mashup of field hockey and baseball…

Because people don’t know how to stick to the topic.

The topic is travel teams and parents leaving yo get their kid recruited. How is this conversation off topic in your mind?

No, it’s about loyalty to your club and teammates and putting them first (which I don’t agree with), but that is the OPs complaint - players leaving and not thinking of teammates.

The OP is the players leaving even after being recruited and sucking your old club for all the publicity, promotion, spots on the top teams, not to mention favoritism, and deciding to take players with you (they were already "first" for everything where they were). Screwing other teammates. This is also happening in our club. It's a jerk move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are just mad that your kid was not invited….

Travel sports parents are the same as any others- always remember they will do their best for their own kid, and no one has loyalty to anyone.

I learned from watching parents and situations with DC#1, and it has been easier with my two younger:

-be friendly to all, confide in NONE
-don’t talk with other parents about the sport at all (seriously) unless it about general logistics or vaguely complementary “the girls played great today” etc
-focus on general pleasantries instead “how did the kitchen renovation turn out?” “Is Susie’s ankle feeling better?” etc
-never say anything negative about any player, coach or parent
-never ever tell anyone your future plans - moving teams etc
-never burn bridges even if it is a horrible team or coach “thanks so much for the opportunity, had so much fun” etc
-be QUIET at games other than general vague cheering
-and: FFS- do not get drunk at games or tournaments. That includes at dinners or the hotel if hanging with other families or coaches. Sad that this must be said.

Do those things and you will have no issues.

I don’t know why ppl keep saying this. That’s actually not the reason. My kid is in a good place and is going to play in college. And is in a good place for the team. DC is a top player. I’m no fan of travel, or even my team, but the ones leaving are really screwing the kids they’ve played with for 7 years. SEVEN. YEARS. And the one leaving got LOTS AND LOTS of attention, DM time etc. Coach favorites.

Which I guess is fine. But I was naively surprised. And by the comments on this thread, I should not have been.

From our experience (in baseball), this doesn’t ring true. As soon as kids get their commitments, things really change and all this drama goes away. Becomes relaxed and fun. Parent involvement and anxieties also go down. This sounds like a 12-15 year old situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This must differ by sport. In baseball, everyone knows there are teams you try to get into for D1 others for D3 and then many teams where you are just playing but almost nobody gets a college commitment.

Maybe there is this drama up until like 13, but nobody expects teams to stick together at 14+. Also, everyone is fine being open because they know a D1 caliber is going to try to play for Richmond Braves platinum or Canes National or some equivalent while others aren’t.

Actually… no, not “everyone” knows that. There are lots of us *normal* parents out here who aren’t hyper-competitive, and we’re not all constantly researching and jostling for the biggest leg up for our kids. Some of us put our kid on a travel team when they’re young because we like the vibe, and then we keep them on that travel team because the kids are all friends now. Even if our kid is really talented.

Actually, PP is correct for baseball. That is how it shakes out as they older, but really much older (15+) after they have grown a bit and their abilities become clear. But younger years are for travel teams with friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This must differ by sport. In baseball, everyone knows there are teams you try to get into for D1 others for D3 and then many teams where you are just playing but almost nobody gets a college commitment.

Maybe there is this drama up until like 13, but nobody expects teams to stick together at 14+. Also, everyone is fine being open because they know a D1 caliber is going to try to play for Richmond Braves platinum or Canes National or some equivalent while others aren’t.

Actually… no, not “everyone” knows that. There are lots of us *normal* parents out here who aren’t hyper-competitive, and we’re not all constantly researching and jostling for the biggest leg up for our kids. Some of us put our kid on a travel team when they’re young because we like the vibe, and then we keep them on that travel team because the kids are all friends now. Even if our kid is really talented.

That’s complete BS. Sorry, but especially with changes to baseball roster sizes and the relationships your travel coach needs to have with D1 coaches…you aren’t leaving your kid on the Primetime B team or the MVP C team just because you are all friends.

Your kid may not want the drama and pressure of D1 baseball…that’s absolutely true…but a different animal.

Heck, many D1 programs will take a rising JR HS commit and tell them they now have to play for the TBT Phillies or the Five Star National because those are the teams where they want their committed kids playing together.

It’s not BS, you just misunderstood my point. A lot of us literally *do not know* what the “premiere” teams are nor have we researched (or thought to research) because we’re happy where we are.

So there’s two reasons I would leave my kid on his current team, even though he would love to play D1 and is possibly D1 material. But I come from a small town so I don’t have this jostling/competitive nature in my blood, so hopefully my kid will get a look at some point.

But it’s foolish to assume that *everybody* knows that you need all sorts of close personal relationships with “the right people” these days. That’s not how it worked where I’m from in my day.

Why would you think of your own ancient experience as representative of how things work today?

I’m sorry…but if you aren’t playing at tournaments where D1 coaches are looking or don’t have someone that knows some coaches, you can’t expect to get a D1 look.

Now…if your kid can throw consistently in the 90s (ideally as a lefty), you can get some looks. It’s the one area of baseball that’s easy to prove and will get notice if all you do is post Twitter video and DM coaches.

BTW, this isn’t about getting on the most competitive travel team, but rather getting into a team that has connected coaches that attracts D1 caliber athletes. Sure, they are strong teams, but my kid left a more local travel team where parents were under the delusion that kids would be recruited (and were hyper-competitive) to a team where 50% are already committed by Fall of junior year, that had a much more collaborative vibe because the parents with already committted players are actually very open with how their kid got committed and give some really good tips.

The most competitive teams will often have kids that will be drafted into the MLB in the first or second round, direct from HS.

Because I’m not a hyper competitive striver. Obviously.

You even admit in this post that YOU know that not *everyone* knows this. (See bolded)

You seem confused as to what I took issue with in your original post. It’s your blithe “everyone knows this” - and by your own admission, no, not everyone knows this. I don’t get why you’re digging in your heels on this point. I’m sure the rest of your information is accurate but LOTS and LOTS of folks simply aren’t aware of how the recruiting game is played.

Stop with your holier than thou “I’m not a hyper competitive striver”. You can’t hope your kid will get to D1 and then do nothing to try to make it happen.

It’s one thing if your kid doesn’t want it…I completely get that…but if your kid does want it, you don’t just complain about the system and do nothing.

I’m not complaining about the system. I’m (for about the third time) pointing out that NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!

Most parents think supporting their kid through travel ball FOR YEARS is quite the opposite of “doing nothing” in terms of supporting that kid’s college hopes and dreams. Back in my day NO ONE played travel ball. It was Little League, Babe Ruth, and high school. So by even participating in this travel insanity we are already acknowledging that things have changed. But some of us plebes are too stupid or lazy I guess to know that even if our kid is on the best, most competitive team, it’s still not the *right* team. So I guess our kids are just screwed.

Well…I hope I at least gave you something to think about…because now you know.

You can’t just bury your head in the sand if it’s something your kid wants (and somebody who knows something can at least confirm they are D1 material).

The upside is now 100% of D1 baseball players at conferences that give scholarships should get a 100% scholarship (up from around 25%). The downside is rosters have been cut 15%-20%.

To the parent who isn’t a baseball recruiting expert:

Between HS ball and your travel org, there should be someone to talk to about a recruiting plan. If your son is a D1 caliber prospect, he doesn’t need to play on Stars or Braves to be recruited (mine had no interest). But you do need a plan and someone to advocate for you at the schools he’s interested in. It isn’t always the fanciest big name org. In fact, sometimes those places aren’t great at, let’s say, placing athletes into high academic D3 programs. Every athlete has different goals and might need the different things from their travel team. Some kids aren’t going to benefit from wwba but might get exposure to the teams they want in more regional tournaments. One thing to consider is that a lot of D1 caliber rising HS seniors aren’t going to have roster spots due to the recent rule change - including many who have already committed. Your son needs to be doing email outreach and attending school specific camps at a minimum, casting a wide net in terms of division, and hopefully someone in his sphere can pick up the phone and help from that side.

Also to the point about the scholarships, that is entirely too complicated an issue to jump to the expectation that schools who currently fund 11.7 scholarships are going to be fully funding 34 scholarships in 2025-2026 or ever.

Thanks for the actual useful information. At what point during high school should he be reaching out to potential college coaches? Junior year?

Here you go, the best college baseball site — lays out the whole recruiting process gently and clearly and without selling anything: https://keepplayingbaseball.org/

[Anonymous]

Bringing this back to OP’s original post about families leaving the team. Curious to know how often does your travel team (name the sport) have tryouts? What’s the time commitment? Does this schedule/length of commitment change as kids get older?

Seems like most of our friends with kids playing AAUP basketball have tryouts every season (fall, winter, spring). I know that baseball (at least for 14u and younger) tends to be a yearlong commitment but the timing of different clubs is varies—some are winter/spring/fall and others are fall/winter/spring—and payment for the year is often front loaded. I imagine the shorter tryout/commitment/payment cycle lends itself to greater movement, but maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is an interesting mashup of field hockey and baseball…

Because people don’t know how to stick to the topic.

The topic is travel teams and parents leaving yo get their kid recruited. How is this conversation off topic in your mind?

No, it’s about loyalty to your club and teammates and putting them first (which I don’t agree with), but that is the OPs complaint - players leaving and not thinking of teammates.

The OP is the players leaving even after being recruited and sucking your old club for all the publicity, promotion, spots on the top teams, not to mention favoritism, and deciding to take players with you (they were already "first" for everything where they were). Screwing other teammates. This is also happening in our club. It's a jerk move.

Ask yourself why they want to leave when recruiting is over. If the goal is to get recruited, then maybe they don't want to put with the ahole coach anymore or the absurd drives to practice or the games three states away. Maybe they'd rather play for a coach they like that practices in their high school gym and plays locally

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bringing this back to OP’s original post about families leaving the team. Curious to know how often does your travel team (name the sport) have tryouts? What’s the time commitment? Does this schedule/length of commitment change as kids get older?

Seems like most of our friends with kids playing AAUP basketball have tryouts every season (fall, winter, spring). I know that baseball (at least for 14u and younger) tends to be a yearlong commitment but the timing of different clubs is varies—some are winter/spring/fall and others are fall/winter/spring—and payment for the year is often front loaded. I imagine the shorter tryout/commitment/payment cycle lends itself to greater movement, but maybe not.

AAU. Fake tryouts in fall mostly to replace players who have either left or focus on other sports in the fall. I've never seen a returning player cut fall tryouts. Real tryouts are in winter for spring/summer season and there are a lot of cuts. DD's roster has lost as many as half one year. She's been with the same club on the same team for 5 years. There is only one other teammate who started with her. Most of the second team is former first team players, but others left for different clubs or quit the sport. It's a high level team that is very clear about continually seeking to improve and it draws a lot of interest from out of the area for high school age groups, so the cuts are expected. The commitments are technically spring summer and then fall winter, but practices never really stop other than a quick break in August

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always felt so bad for travel sport parents…it usually amounts to nothing.

🤔 If you call fitness, confidence, teamwork, perseverance, grit, deep friendships, travel, a lifelong way to stay fit and meet people, exposure to other cultures, and the knowledge of how hard they can really push themselves “nothing”, then sure…